


what a little magic can do

by softiejohnyong



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Amnesia, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Harry Potter References, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Platonic Cuddling, very brief mention of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22509814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softiejohnyong/pseuds/softiejohnyong
Summary: “Back off, demon!” Johnny hissed at the cat, who in turn also hissed at him. It bared its four sharp canines, trying to intimidate Johnny. The tiny human didn’t show any sign of hesitation, though, and immediately revealed his two equally sharp canine teeth, albeit much smaller than the cat’s. Both parties held their stances, ready to attack at any moment.
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 10
Kudos: 93
Collections: Johnny Fic Fest: Round One





	what a little magic can do

**Author's Note:**

> for the prompt #JS49: Person B finds what he thinks is a very realistic doll in an antique shop and decides to buy it because it’s pretty. However, the label around its neck reads ‘Warm me up and I’ll come alive!” (or something), so when B gets home, he decides to try it, and suddenly he has a very tiny, very excitable companion whose name is Johnny, until B shows him an act of true love and suddenly Johnny is over six foot and very real.
> 
> to the prompter: i hope this fic met your expectation ;; enjoy!

“Yuta, are you sure this is the right place? It seems shady,” said Taeyong, looking at the sign hanging above the dirty, dusty door of the shop. Who even wanted to name their shop, of all names, _Borgin & Burkes _ ? Wasn’t that the name of a dark magical shop in _Harry Potter_?

“Yes, I found their Facebook page. They sell all kinds of antique stuff! I’ve been looking for an ancient, preferably creepy-looking necklace to go with my Halloween costume.” Yuta pulled open the door while motioning for Taeyong to follow.

At first Taeyong thought the shop was rather small, judging by its front entrance. He was pleasantly surprised upon entering and finding out that it was quite spacious inside, lit up by several small light bulbs attached to the wall; there was even a large stained glass window that illuminated the shop in a slightly pinkish hue.

The interior of the shop was surprisingly clean of any dust, and in fact, looked kind of cozy. In one corner were a fireplace and several mismatched armchairs, each had its matching throw pillow and an extremely soft-looking blanket. Among the chairs was a small coffee table, but instead of the typical teapot and teacups, there lied an antique telephone. The position of the chairs and the table made the whole corner seem like there used to be a group of people sitting and waiting for an important call. Taeyong almost wanted to try sitting in one of the armchairs and picking up the phone to check if it still worked. Or if there would actually be a call coming to tell him good news.

The owner was a very young man, probably in his early 20s, although his clothes looked Victorian. True to Yuta’s word, one could find literally anything they needed from an antique shop. While the Japanese guy busied himself with picking out several pairs of earrings and bracelets, Taeyong chose to stroll through the shop. He didn’t have anything particular in mind, maybe something would eventually catch his eyes.

Taeyong had seen a fair share of horror films, so when he came upon a large shelf full of dolls in different sizes, he couldn’t help but feel a shiver running down his spine. Maybe Taeyong was imagining things, maybe all those little heads were indeed turning to look at him. Either way, he had to get away from those empty, soulless button eyes. Taeyong was about to leave when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a different doll. A male doll, with short brown hair and the most gentle-looking eyes Taeyong had ever seen. Even its facial expression was different from the others. Whereas the others resembled Chucky, this one seemed like an adorable little boy. 

Without much hesitation, Taeyong reached forward to pick the doll up. He was surprised to find that it weighed almost as much as a toddler, which made it even more realistic. Probably the most lifelike doll Taeyong had ever seen. There was a small scarf tied around its neck, with the words “ _You give me warmth, I give you love_ ” embroidered on. That put a smile on his face. It seemed that the original maker wanted to bring love and happiness to others through this doll.

Yuta was spreading several pieces of accessories on the counter when he saw Taeyong coming over, a doll held tight in his arms.

“Didn’t you have nightmares after Chucky?” he asked. Taeyong only shrugged.

“He’s pretty, and hides no knife inside his clothes. Isn’t that right, Johnny?” Yuta’s best friend was even cooing at a _toy_. He scrunched his nose.

“Ew, you already named him? Creepy.”

“No, that’s legitimately his name. Here,” Taeyong pulled out a tiny handkerchief from the breast pocket of said doll. It did read _Johnny_. Before Yuta could say another word, suddenly, the shop owner spoke up.

“Ah, I see that you have decided to take little Johnny home. He’s been with us for nearly 3 years. I’m glad that you decided to give him a home.” The young man chirped while slightly crouching down to look at the doll, as if he was talking to an actual child. Yuta found that a bit odd, but he let it slide, because one did not own a creepy antique shop like this without being a little weird.

They made their payment before quickly exited the shop. Taeyong only had a small waist bag, so he opted to holding Johnny to his chest. Under the bright sunlight, Taeyong could see how pretty Johnny really was. Pink lips, soft lashes, ruddy cheeks. He wondered why the previous owner decided to get rid of such a pretty doll.

The duo splitted up when they reached Yuta’s dorm, since the redhead had practice with the dance club, while Taeyong, well, he had nothing to tend to. When Taeyong got home, he immediately found the perfect spot to put Johnny in. It was a bookshelf near the window, with just the perfect amount of sunlight illuminating the whole room. Taeyong lightly touched the doll’s ruddy cheeks, smiling when the light caught on his brown strands of hair. Johnny looked like he belonged to a cozy little place, probably a small cabin in the woods where there was an ever-brewing pot of hot tea and some cookies. Taeyong briefly wondered if Johnny’s previous owner had been a little girl who liked to play house and tea party. Maybe she would have him sitting neatly on a little wooden chair with other animal plushies, while she poured everyone a small cup of hot tea. Nonetheless, Johnny was staying with Taeyong from then on. He might not be the type to play house, but he did want to bring in a little _life_ to the apartment. After all, living alone could be quite lonely.

Later that night, with a stomach full of spaghetti and hair wet from the shower, Taeyong was getting ready for bed when his eyes caught on Johnny’s tiny scarf. The words embroidered on it were cute and kind of poetic. Taeyong felt something tugging on his heart and next thing he knew, he was picking Johnny up and placed the little doll on his pillow. Maybe it was the fact that when Taeyong was little, he used to sleep with at least one toy held tight to his chest. Or maybe Taeyong was dumb enough to believe in those six words, that something would actually happen if he cuddled the doll. Hollywood movies were really rubbing off on him.

Taeyong settled into bed, warm and comfortable, and pulled the blanket to his chin. He then looked at Johnny lying on the pillow next to his head. The brunette might be imagining things, but Johnny’s smile seemed almost relieved. He lightly stroked the doll’s hair, then closed his eyes and fell into dreamland.

*

Taeyong woke up when the first ray of sunlight peeked through between the curtains and landed on his face. The brunette had gone to sleep the night before with the fan turned on, the device was then humming in the corner of the room, accentuating the peaceful silence of the morning. Taeyong could sleep in a little more, then figured maybe he could use a couple of hours cleaning up the apartment.

Out of the corner of his eye, Taeyong noticed movements. A small, dark silhouette was on his pillow. Taeyong turned to the side, and almost screamed.

Because what greeted him was a pair of tiny brown eyes, staring intently at him. Those soft, gentle, but also curious eyes belonged to a familiar face that Taeyong swore he had seen before. Taeyong was surprised that he hadn’t fully freaked out over just the fact that there was someone else in the apartment watching him sleep, let alone someone so… tiny. Then, reality finally hit the brunette.

That was Johnny. The familiar face staring back at him was Johnny. The little doll he brought home from the antique shop yesterday. The doll with soft brown hair and ruddy cheeks, who was supposed to be a lifeless decoration in the apartment. Not a living, breathing creature on Taeyong’s pillow, who opened its mouth and said, “Hello.”

Taeyong lost it.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!!”

He jumped out of bed and almost face-planted on the floor when his right foot got caught in the blanket. The brunette instantly had his back against the wall, as if the thing, or creature, on the bed was about to attack him. Or maybe it really was gonna attack Taeyong. The whole situation was beyond freaky to comprehend, and he had been awake for less than ten minutes.

“Please don’t yell. Johnny doesn’t like it when people yell.” To Taeyong’s utter horror, the doll spoke up. In a cute voice, actually. Taeyong thought his brain just short-circuited, because _omg he loved cute things_ and _omg it could speak!!!_

While the other boy was still frozen in place - sitting on his butt on the floor - Johnny stood up, albeit with some stumbling. Once the little doll had risen to full height and was blinking his monolid eyes at him, Taeyong had to accept the fact that this was not a nightmare or a hallucination: he was awake, it was 8 in the morning, the doll he previously had bought as a decoration had come to life.

“W-what are you?”, Taeyong’s voice was shaking by then. His eyes were flitting between the door and Johnny, contemplating an escape route in case of emergency. Johnny didn’t seem to notice Taeyong’s calculating though.

“I am Johnny. You brought me home yesterday, remember?”

“No,” the brunette shook his head vehemently, “I brought home a doll. Not this- this- you!”

“Noooo~ I am your Johnny!” _That tiny creature even whined in cute voice. Oh god._ “You gave me warmth! You brought me back to life!” Johnny flailed his arms as if trying to emphasize his point.

“W-well then you have to prove it! Prove that you really are the Johnny from that antique shop! Not some- I don’t know- Lord of the Rings kind of dwarf!” By then Taeyong had managed to scrambled to a more upright position. He hoped that would make him somewhat less of an easy target should the cursed doll decided to attack.

To his surprise, Johnny started sniffling. Fat drops of tears free fell on cheeks that had turned a dark shade of red, while the curvy lips quivered.

“Why… why don’t you believe me? Do you hate me?” The tiny human’s voice broke, tiny fists raised to rub at his reddening eyes. 

_Oh no no no, this is not happening._ It was only 8 and Taeyong already had a living, breathing tiny human who was about to cry his lungs out if the brunette didn’t do anything about it. What had his life become?

Without much hesitation, Taeyong sprung to action. Despite his initial reaction, Taeyong wouldn’t want anyone to cry because of him, especially when that anyone looked like a small child who was just as frightened as Taeyong was. In a matter of seconds, Taeyong was not afraid to touch the tiny human, he even cradled little Johnny in his arms. Slender fingers came up to stroke soft strands of brown hair, Taeyong let the tiny human cling to him, petite body softly trembling with each sniffle.

“Shhh, I don’t hate you. Please don’t cry…”

The initial sniffling soon turned into full-on crying. Taeyong tried rubbing Johnny’s back to soothe him. At least Taeyong was no stranger to a crying toddler, since he himself had a 5 years old nephew, too. He figured Johnny’s current situation wasn’t much different, so Taeyong decided to wait for little Johnny to calm down, while he continued to hold the tiny human in his arms tight and slightly rock him back and forth. That did the magic, thankfully, as Johnny’s wailing then had been reduced to small hiccups, but the tiny fists wouldn’t let go of the front of Taeyong’s sweater.

After a while, Johnny finally calmed down enough to sit up more properly. The boy found it quite amusing that Johnny seemed to feel very comfortable sitting on Taeyong’s lap.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Taeyong spoke up while wiping off the remaining tears on Johnny’s face. The tiny human seemed to revel in skin contact, rubbing his face against Taeyong’s fingers like a cat.

“‘s fine…” Johnny mumbled, avoiding Taeyong’s eyes, though. “I shouldn’t have made a fuss…”, he said, accompanied by a yawn. Johnny muttered something else, but Taeyong couldn’t make out what it was. When he peered down again, Johnny appeared to be dozing off.

It was a strange scene. Taeyong sitting on the bed, holding a small child on his lap, while said child was snoring softly after a crying fit. The brunette looked down to closely inspect Johnny. While doll Johnny looked rigid and lifeless, human Johnny (should he call Johnny human or doll now?) had softer cheeks, and real baby skin. He didn’t look exactly like a normal baby, though, but more like a shrunken toddler? Nevertheless, the little boy was adorable, and he was sleeping, so Taeyong figured he could make use of the time being to work out what to do next.

*

“So, you are telling me, that you have no memory of before you were turned into- uh— this?” Taeyong motions at Johnny, who was perched on top of the table, sucking a small carton of milk clutched to his chest. After waking up, Johnny hadn’t talked much, mostly just observed Taeyong puttering around the apartment. Being watched by a tiny human creeped the brunette out.

“I only remember things from when we met at the shop. You are not… you are not throwing me away, are you?” Johnny sheepishly asked.

To be honest, Taeyong did consider that option. If one wasn’t satisfied with a merchandise they bought, shouldn’t they immediately return it and ask for a refund? Nonetheless, given Johnny’s action earlier, and the fact that he could be considered a human, wouldn’t that be too cold-blooded to just abandon him?

Maybe it was the part inside Taeyong that didn’t want to upset anyone, or the part who actually craved companionship, but Taeyong decided to let Johnny stay. It was a quick decision, and had it been the Taeyong from yesterday, he would definitely be against the idea of keeping a mystical (and still creepy) creature in close proximity.

“No, of course not, why would I do that to you?”, Taeyong finally sat down, a cup of sweetened tea in hands, “Our current situation is pretty… bizarre, I know, but we will figure something out. I won’t leave you out on the street, I _promise_.”

Taeyong’s assurance seemed to be all Johnny needed, for his little face immediately lit up, accompanied by a bashful smile.

“Really? I can stay with you?”

“Yeah. I could be your friend. Friends help each other when in need. Besides, from what I heard from the shop owner, you have been stuck there for 3 years-” A thought occurred to Taeyong just then, “Wait. Please tell me the dolls displayed on the shelf aren’t like you. ‘Cos to be honest some of them looked kind of… uhm… scary.”

Little Johnny took another sip of his milk, “I can sense that some of them are. I’m not sure, though. Before you, everything seemed blurry.” Taeyong felt a burst of warmth in his chest. Someone was alive because of him, and that fact alone was already enough to cement the decision to keep Johnny with him. 

*

That night, Taeyong let Johnny sleep in the same bed with him. The little human was still wearing the same clothes from before, which weren’t exactly very comfortable to sleep in, but Taeyong didn’t have any baby garments available (and also because he forgot to find some during the day), so they’d have to make do with several extra layers of cotton towels as a make-shift mattress for Johnny. He made a mental note to buy new clothes for Johnny tomorrow, and maybe later make some, too, when he was done with finals. His mind was already popping up with ideas for tiny, adorable attires.

*

“Are you sure you can be home by yourself?” Taeyong asked, nervously chewing on his bottom lip. Johnny had been living with him for only two days, yet he had to leave the tiny human at home to go to class in the morning.

They were at the front door of the apartment, Taeyong had barely put on one shoe and been hesitant to leave Johnny home. He could take the boy to class with him, although an odd-looking toddler tagging along would surely earn them several curious stares.

“I’ll be fine. You said you would be back by noon. I promise I won’t break anything in the meantime.” Johnny patted Taeyong’s knee for extra assurance. The tiny boy was wearing a brown hoodie with fluffy bear ears on top and a pair of shorts. The package had arrived yesterday and Johnny had immediately gone for the adorable piece of garment.

Taeyong chewed on his lips some more. “Okay, but if anything happens, call me immediately, okay? Remember the phone that I taught you how to use?”

To answer that, Johnny chirped happily. “Of course. I am a smart boy! Now go~ You don’t wanna be late!”

As much as he worried about Johnny, Taeyong did have to go to class. He had a presentation on their group project that he could not ditch. Heaving a sigh, Taeyong put on the remaining shoe and stood up. In this position, Johnny reached only a little past Taeyong’s knees, so he had to bend down to look him in the eye.

“I’ll be home soon, okay? Everything’s gonna be fine.” Johnny scrunched his nose at that. _Yeah right, as if that wasn’t what I’ve been telling you._

As soon as the door slammed shut, Johnny turned around and started what he called a mini adventure into his new home. _A little curiosity wouldn’t hurt, right?_ He’d only been here for only a couple of days, so there was a lot to explore. From what Johnny had observed, Taeyong was a very neat type of person, and so was the apartment. Everything was nearly squeaky clean, and smelled good too.

Johnny went for the bookshelf near Taeyong’s bed first. There were a lot of books, ranging from _The Encyclopedia of Stars_ to _History of Fashion_ , to _Harry Potter_ , and _Twilight_ , even. There was also a giant stack of Vogue, which Johnny decided that he would dig into some time later. At the moment, he was more interested in _The Encyclopedia of Stars_ . Guanheng had a copy of this book too, along with other books that were definitely associated with dark magic - which was why Johnny perfectly understood that the shop owner didn’t allow anyone to touch them - but he couldn’t comprehend as to why Guanheng forbid everyone from reading about _stars_ . He even went as far as putting a spell on the store to restrict any kinds of levitation magic. But _now_ , now Johnny finally had access to that particular book. He couldn’t wait to see what Guanheng had to hide. With a snap of his fingers, the heavy tome started to float up in the air, before slowly landing in front of Johnny. His magic was still in recovering from Guanheng’s restraining spell, therefore he had to be extremely careful with lifting large objects.

“Huh?”, Johnny whispered to himself. The book was… boring, to be honest. Scientific facts about different stars and planets that had been discovered, which star was the brightest or furthest from earth, _bla bla bla_ , all boring stuff. Johnny was about to close the book and find another source of entertainment when his eyes caught a glimpse of a dark-colored page that illustrated a special astronomical event. _The day that the eight planets align_ , it read. Johnny mulled over the phrase for a minute. He had little to no memory prior to living in Guanheng’s antique shop, and even memories associated with that place seemed fuzzy too. The word _align_ did ignite something in him, though, like a spark that Johnny hoped would somewhat help him remember. Johnny thought he recalled one or two blobs of colors, maybe a person, but the image was too blurry for him to be even remotely certain that it was a person. Tired of trying to recollect any kinds of memories, Johnny let out a long sigh and closed the book. Maybe next time.

He climbed down from the desk, and headed towards the bed. Taeyong kept several small pots of tiny plants, some resting on the window sill, some hung on the adjacent wall. Taeyong had forgotten to water these little babies this morning since he was busy fussing over leaving Johnny at home; so the tiny human felt the responsibility to take care of them while Taeyong was gone. He found the watering pot nearby, full of water and a little too heavy for Johnny. So, with another snap of the fingers, Johnny’s magic swirled around the metal container to lift it up over the plants. Fat drops of water started to rain down on the plants, cleaning the little leaves of every bit of dust that might have gathered on them. Johnny had always enjoyed housework like this. Back at Guanheng’s place, he was among the few creatures who helped keep the shop in order. Most of the dolls at the shop were playful young children who liked to turn the whole place into a mess, throwing things around - which was why Guanheng had to put a restraining spell on everyone to lessen the damage. Meanwhile, Johnny was on the older side of the family, and therefore had taken upon himself the duty of taking care of their home.

Having finished with the plants, Johnny then turned to the kitchen. Taeyong’s apartment was relatively small to accommodate only one resident, and therefore the kitchen only consisted of a stove, a sink, a small metal table and some kitchenware. Although, the shortage of utensils absolutely did not deter Taeyong from making _heavenly_ -tasting food. Just yesterday, he made probably the most delicious, 5-star pork stew ever. Guanheng used to feed everyone either instant noodles or short bursts of magical energy, so Taeyong’s food was definitely a blessing for Johnny. As much as he appreciated Guanheng’s taking care of the their family, the shop owner could someday murder someone just by feeding them _water_. Johnny thought raven-haired Taeyong was the best cook in the world.

Johnny even went as far as wandering to the tiny balcony. The space was teeny-weeny even for a plastic laundry rack, yet somehow Taeyong managed to put up another shelf for at least a dozen succulents and cacti. It was as if the student was trying to turn his apartment into a miniature garden.

Taeyong’s place was on the third floor of an old building, with the balcony overlooking the playground of the neighboring daycare. Johnny stuck his head out through the railings of the patio to take a look at the world outside. There were kids running around the playground, some were on the swing, others seemed to be in a tickle fight with each other. Just the pure amount of energy radiating from those kids already put a smile on Johnny’s face. It had been so long since he had been outside - if he had ever been outside of the antique shop at all. Johnny, and other dolls too, had always longed for just a breath of fresh air. The closest he had been to the outside world was that one time Guanheng let him stand at the threshold of the shop when it was closing time. Johnny clearly remembered the slightly biting chill of the night, the flickering yellow light of the lamp posts, a dog that wasn’t Ruby barking in the distance. Even when the night was quiet for the most part, it was definitely more lively than Guanheng’s little shop.

Taeyong came home to the sight of Johnny asleep on the desk, half of his tiny frame draped over an opened book. His mouth was slightly agape, with a trickle of drool still dripping out onto the pages. Taeyong made a mental note to immediately wipe the puddle of drool off of the book once he’d woken Johnny up. He had been worried that maybe leaving Johnny alone had been a mistake, and he would have been greeted by his apartment on fire; yet apparently, all Johnny had done was reading and napping. Taeyong got a bit curious though, he didn’t know Johnny could read. And out of all books, the tiny human picked one about astrology. That book didn’t even belong to Taeyong. A friend of his, Taeil, lent him the book for inspiration for a costume that the raven-haired student once worked on. Astrology was quite interesting, just not enough to keep Taeyong from nodding off. Seemed like Johnny got bored by it too.

“Johnny, wake up,” Taeyong tried very lightly poking the other in the shoulder, not wanting to jolt him out of slumber.

“...5 more minutes…” came Johnny’s reply, voice dripping with sleepiness.

“Wake up, it’s noon,” Taeyong tried again, this time trying to turn the tiny boy over using only his fingers. Johnny was tiny, so he tried to be as gentle as possible with him. Under Taeyong’s persistent poking and tickling, Johnny finally gave in and sat up, very much drowsy from his nap. Eyes closed, he mumbles.

“I’m hungry…”, accompanied by another yawn.

“I brought black bean noodles. Wanna try?” Taeyong held up a canvas bag that was emitting such a mouth-watering aroma, which definitely woke Johnny up faster than any of his earlier poking.

Maybe because Johnny was hungry, maybe it was another meal he could enjoy without being interrupted by some mischievous spirits, but Johnny had never thought black bean noodles could be _this_ good. Especially when said meal was shared between him and Taeyong. He had to admit, the raven-haired student was very pretty, much prettier than Guangheng or any other customers who had ever visited the shop. Johnny knew that humans in general were quite good-looking - at least compared to the many beings and deities he’d had the pleasure of facing whenever Guangheng returned from a “business” trip. However, Taeyong was not only exceptionally pretty but also the most gentle, reliable human ever. It wasn’t like Johnny had interacted with many humans, but he was confident of that statement. Taeyong was a good human, one he could trust.

They continued to eat while making small talk, mostly Johnny asking Taeyong about anything he could think of, from Taeyong’s presentation to how humans interacted with each other, and so on.

“You have never been to a park before?”, Taeyong asked, picking up another piece of tteokbokki and popping it in his mouth.

“Yeah, Guanheng couldn’t exactly take a bunch of talking puppets to a public space. That would be weird. And plus you’ll never know if there’s any hunter lurking around.” came Johnny’s reply, who was also munching on a piece of tteok.

“Hunter? What do you mean hunter?” Taeyong was curious. Just two days ago he didn’t even believe in Santa; and now he was learning about a whole new world existing and hidden from humanity.

“There aren’t many of them in South Korea, but they do exist. And not like, good guy hunters. Bad guy hunters, actually. They capture creatures like me. Actually both Guanheng and I don’t know why the hunters have been actively going after mediocre magical creatures. We have very limited power, and like, literally of no use. I couldn’t even shoo Ruby away!” Johnny’s voice went a pitch higher than usual, indicating that he’d been concerned by the whole hunter issue. Despite that, he didn’t stop slurping another strand of noodle. The noodles were that good.

“I was actually gonna ask if you wanted to go out with me this afternoon. You know, a lil’ exploration. But since there’s this issue with the hunters…” Taeyong trailed off at the end. He had wanted to take the boy out for a while, maybe for grocery shopping. If Johnny was to stay with him for a long time, he could not keep him at home forever. That would be the antique shop all over again.

Johnny chewed on his lower lip while contemplating whether or not it would be safe for him to be in a public space. Part of him was still wary of the hunters, while the other, bigger part wanted so badly to have a taste of what it was like being basked in the sunlight. He reasoned with himself that Guanheng hadn’t spotted any hunters in nearly 3 months, maybe their group had moved to another city. And plus, Taeyong’s neighborhood was in a less crowded district compared to others, therefore less chance of running into a hunter. Because, as dumb as it sounded, magical creatures loved being around humans, meaning those psychopath hunters usually targeted the more populated parts of the city. 

Feeling self-assured then, Johnny patted Taeyong’s hands. “It’s gonna be fine. I can cloak myself, and if others don’t see you talking to a tiny human, they won’t sense anything. Just pretend that you’re a 5 year-old who likes to bring toys to public space.” Taeyong laughed a little at that. It seemed that Johnny also had a sense of humor. Why wouldn’t he? Just because he was previously a lifeless doll who came to life from the touch of a human it didn’t mean he couldn’t function like a normal human, could he?

*

Pushing the cart through the main entrance of the supermarket, Taeyong let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. There was only one security guard at the door, who looked like she could nod off at any minute. Despite Johnny’s earlier assurance, he was slightly nervous. Taeyong had a small bucket bag slung over one shoulder, covered by a trench coat with the intention of hiding said bag, where Johnny was sitting snug and secured inside. He kept the coat open so that Johnny could poke his head out and look around without being too visible to anyone who might come across them.

Unlike Taeyong, Johnny seemed curious with literally _everything_. The boy tried not to move around the bag too much, but kept sticking his head out to take in as much as possible about this colorful, gigantic place. There were just so many things to look at! He had never seen such a big teddy bear, or a shelf filled with different colored bottles of soft drinks. There was also noise everywhere: people talking, murmuring to each other, shopping carts being wheeled back and forth. Taeyong stopped at the butcher counter to stock up on meat for the next three days. The man behind the glass display nodded at Taeyong’s request, then proceeded to pull out an enormous piece of meat - the biggest Johnny had ever seen - and an equally big knife. Fluorescent light bounced off the metallic blade as the butcher sharpened the knife, his wrist moved in a seemingly endless motion in tune with the grating sound of the blade grinding against the whetstone. Johnny was mesmerized by the way the man artfully sliced his knife through the meat, the flesh easily gave way to the blade. 

After the butcher counter was the candy section. Johnny could feel excitement coursing through his veins at the sight of rows after rows of bright-colored boxes of candies.

“Have you ever had yogurt-flavored candy?”, Taeyong asked as they came close to a testing stand. When Johnny said that he didn’t know what yogurt-flavored meant, he told the boy to duck down a little as he approached the boy handing out test samples at the stand. Couldn’t risk another person screeching upon seeing two tiny eyes staring at them.

Mark was working at the testing stand that day. He had been greeting either sugar-high kids or bored parents since the morning, and there was only one hour left till his shift was over. Then he saw a guy coming near. He was an extremely good-looking guy, probably just a few years older than Mark. He cleared his throat and put on a bright smile.

“Hello! Would you like to try our new yogurt-flavored soft candy?”, he said as cheerily as possible while offering a small wrapped piece of sweet. The guy asked for two samples, which was perfectly normal for any shoppers to do, before continuing to stroll through the aisles. Mark didn’t take his eyes off that guy, though - honestly, how could anyone not stare at such a beauty like that - so he immediately saw the dark-haired boy slightly crouching down to put the then unwrapped candy into his pocket. Which was, of course, weird, because no one would want a puddle of slime stuck in their clothes. What was also very odd was the fact that the gorgeous guy seemed to be talking to himself. He kept glancing down at his bag, so Mark figured the strange guy must be smuggling his pet into the supermarket. Which then wasn’t so weird anymore, and deserved some _aww_.

“That was close.” Taeyong exhaled as soon as he took a right turn away from the boy at the testing stand. Johnny only let out a soft _uh huh_ since he was busy taking bites after bites of the sweet and sour piece of treat. His two round cheeks were glowing a happy shade of pink, clearly very much enjoying the little snack. Taeyong’s heart felt like melting upon the sight of tiny fingers holding tight onto the mochi-like mush. Johnny reminded him so much of his own little brother Donghyuck, who just turned 4 last month. Both of them were curious about everything, asking questions after questions after questions, which Taeyong would tried to answer them all. In a way, Johnny was like a brother to him, someone to cherish and take care of. If Johnny and Donghyuck were to meet, Taeyong was sure everyone would absolutely fawn over them. He then thought about letting Johnny and Donghyuck meet. Not now, but in the near future. Little Hyuckie would love a new friend. They’d hit it off well, since Hyuck was nothing but a happy ray of sunshine, while Johnny was just as adorable. And the fact that Hyuck was only 4 would make it much easier for him to accept Johnny’s existence. Mom would probably freak out a little, at most, but she was a loving, older version of Taeyong, she would understand.

The duo took a bus home, Johnny still snuggly in Taeyong’s bag. The tiny boy was dozing off, burying his face in Taeyong’s stomach and snoring softly. The grocery shopping trip had extended to over two hours of constant giggle and banter, so it was understandable that once the excitement had died down Johnny would feel tired. The student absent-mindedly threaded a finger through the tuft of brown hair while watching other vehicles zooming past the bus. To think about the past few days, Taeyong was a bit baffled by the mere fact that he got along so well with Johnny. _Too well_ , actually. He became comfortable with Johnny too fast, but he thought his doubting the chemistry between them was only because of his nature to be skeptical about new people. Taeyong thought back to how quickly Johnny had gained his trust, and for a second, a scary thought crossed his mind. _What if Johnny was manipulating him, after all? He said his magic was weak, but how weak?_ Taeyong almost slipped into a spiraling tunnel of apprehension before Johnny mumbled something in his nap and reached one hand up to hold onto his hoodie, and every doubtful thought got swept off his mind. This boy already had so much effect on him.

*

“Lift your arm a little bit, please.” Taeyong said, nudging Johnny a little for the boy to do as he said. Now that finals were over, Taeyong had time to make new clothes for Johnny and _boy_ did he have so many ideas. Being a fashion major had its perks. He made a fluffy, caramel-colored hoodie, but the sleeves were a tad too big so he had Johnny try on the item to determine how many alterations it would need. Johnny was sitting on top of his work station - a moderate-sized table covered with pieces of cloths, to be more precise - following Taeyong’s instructions, with a lot of pouting, of course.

“When will this be overrrr?” Johnny whined, the initial excitement had faded out. As pretty as the clothes Taeyong had been making, trying them on took too much time for a hyped little boy like him. 

“Sit still,” Taeyong replied, seeming unfazed by Johnny’s complaining. He frowned a little, though. “Johnny, have you grown bigger?”

“No? I don’t think I can?”

“Yeah well, your measurements say otherwise.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m fat?” Johnny’s voice went a pitch higher in disbelief. He had never grown an inch during his three years at Guangheng’s shop, there was no way he could now!

“Johnny, I made your clothes, I’m sure you are like, at least half an inch taller than the last time I took your measurements. And no, you’re not fat. Stop being dramatic.” Taeyong deadpanned. Over the span of a month, the dynamic between them had gotten a lot more comfortable, which resulted in occasional bickering and dumb jokes.

“It doesn’t make sense! Even Guanheng is sure this is my final form. I can’t be growing.” Johnny closely inspected his legs as if there would be any visible signs of them getting longer. He heard Taeyong gasp as an idea hit the other’s mind.

“What if you’re hitting puberty? Do you magical beings even have puberty?” Taeyong had been doing his own research, during which many sources agreed that mystical creatures could experience growth in size when in the right conditions and environment. Puberty most definitely wasn’t one of those conditions, he just wanted to mess with Johnny. The tiny human made a face at that.

After some more fussing, Taeyong finally ‘released’ Johnny to mind his own business (read: fending off the neighbor’s cat). The newly adopted cat seemed to be particularly interested in Taeyong’s plant babies, and had scratched off bits and pieces from several cacti. Who even scratched a _cactus_? Nevertheless, Johnny had been taking it upon himself to shoo away the feline. The fat cat wasn’t exactly scared of Johnny, though it did become more wary of the bizarre little human who sometimes shot golden stars from his fingertips. Tonight was no different. Due to some strange, bordering stupid design of the building, Taeyong’s and the neighbor’s balconies were very close to each other, which led to the cat only having to stretch its body a little to jump from its home to Taeyong’s balcony. The student had told the neighbor several times to keep an eye on their cat, which of course fell on deaf ears, while he was too much of a softie for animals to actually do anything to the cat.

As usual, stood between the dark-furred feline and the delicious green was Johnny.

“Back off, demon!” He hissed at the cat, who in turn also hissed at him. It bared its four sharp canines, trying to intimidate Johnny. The tiny human didn’t show any sign of hesitation, though, and immediately revealed his two equally sharp canine teeth, albeit much smaller than the cat’s. Both parties held their stances, ready to attack at any moment. Although, in Taeyong’s eyes, they were more like two little children engaging in a saliva spitting contest. He almost laughed out loud, then remembering how seriously Johnny took the job of protecting the plant babies, he went to toss the cat a small blueberry. The fat animal immediately forgot that it was mere seconds from mauling a stubborn mini human and focused on munching the blueberry instead. It even went as far as showing its furry, chubby belly to Taeyong to beg for more food. The dark-haired boy, of course, started cooing and scratching said belly. All the while, Johnny huffed, obviously not happy with Taeyong’s reaction. That devil tried to murder your green babies!

Taeyong picked up the cat to bring it back to the neighbor. The owner - a woman in her 40s - just opened the door with an exaggerated sigh to let the cat in while actively ignoring Taeyong. They had moved here over a month ago and yet the student couldn’t get her to at least acknowledge his existence. Taeyong thought he needed to be patient with the neighbor. Maybe one day he’d get them to even breathe in his direction.

When Taeyong returned to his apartment, Johnny, as usual, was reading the astronomy book. He felt a little guilty that he hadn’t given the book back to Taeil; but Taeyong reasoned with himself that Johnny had just learned how to read, he’d immediately return the book once the boy was done with it. Taeyong cleared his throat.

“Hey, I was wondering if you… if you wanna meet Yuta? I’m asking because I want to invite Yuta over for movie night, but I don’t know if you’re ready yet.”

Johnny had stayed with him for over a couple of months now. Even though Taeyong tried to take him out as often as possible, it did feel like Johnny had been cooped up in the apartment a lot. Taeyong wanted him to have as much social of a life as possible, because unlike him who wasn’t particularly big on interacting with other people, Johnny’s eyes lit up at the prospect of coming into contact with humans. He was still very much wary of accidentally coming across a hunter, but never held back from being in close vicinity with humans. Combined with the fact that Yuta had been the one who went to the antique shop with him and sensed the weird atmosphere there, Taeyong wanted the two of them to meet. He was quite sure that Yuta wouldn’t react negatively to Johnny. Maybe one or two seconds of actual shock then a shrug, at best.

“Does he know about me yet? I mean, like, does he know that I… talk?” Johnny didn’t immediately reject the idea of meeting Yuta, so Taeyong took it as a good sign.

“Well, he watched Buzzfeed Unsolved a lot, and he slept through Paranormal Activity too, so he’s cool.”

There was a brief hesitation, before Johnny eventually nodded. “You should give him a head start. You don’t know how many humans threw their stuff at my face once I uttered the first word to them.” Johnny’s voice was almost too casual that it made Taeyong stop whatever he was doing. This was the one topic that they hadn’t talked about yet - whether Johnny had ever lived with another human like he was living with Taeyong. The student didn’t know why they hadn’t discussed yet; he could only assumed that there had been customers before him, who visited the shop and became enchanted by Johnny’s pretty face. It really was a no brainer that the tiny boy had been rejected and returned back to Guanheng’s arms countless times.

“People used to… attack you?” Taeyong asked slowly. Johnny briefly froze, fingers still lingering on the paper pages. He finally looked up from the book.

“Well, of course, humans are scared of literally everything. Remember how you went banshee and almost broke the window the first time I spoke to you?”

The raven-haired boy wanted to protest, but upon remembering his earlier inquiry, Taeyong settled down on the bed and pulled up a part of the blanket for Johnny to crawl in with him. He turned away when the other was changing into his pajamas.

“Had anyone ever hurt you? Hurling objects at you and stuff like that?” Taeyong asked once the other boy was snug in bed. Since Johnny was still very small compared to a human, instead of building a mini bed for him, the student had folded a thin duvet several times into a mini mattress, paired with a tiny hand cushion as a pillow so that the tiny boy could sleep in the same bed with him every night. Johnny turned to his side to face Taeyong. He chewed on his lower lip, contemplating whether to tell the student about his past or not. The human had been nothing but caring and kind towards him, and to be honest Taeyong had already earned his trust sooner than he had expected. And now, looking into the student’s big, earnest eyes, he thought he was ready.

“I had been with humans before. An elderly couple and a family of three. Ryuwon and Sejin thought I was their son, who actually died a few years back. Their daughter invited a shaman over to terminate me. Then there was Subin. She was human, but I swear I sensed something _very_ off about her. Once she found out that I can talk, she wouldn’t leave me alone for even one second. Until her parents deemed their daughter ‘too attached to a toy’ and threw me out of the window.” 

“That was terrible. You didn’t harm anyone, why would they want to hurt you!” Taeyong suppressed a terrified gasp.

Johnny let out a soft sigh.

“You see, that’s the thing. Humans are scared and will react violently to anything that they don’t understand. Their first instinct is to attack. Very few actually listen. I guess I was really, really lucky that it was you who brought me home. Guanheng used to worry so much. He didn’t want to let me go ever again, but I convinced him that third time’s the charm.”

Taeyong could see that Johnny was trying to act nonchalant, as if those past experiences had stopped affecting him; and if he’d heard the slight tremble in the other’s voice, he didn’t point that out. Recalling such traumas was not easy; he was thankful that Johnny allowed him into an unhappy piece of memory such as that.

“Thank you for trusting me, Johnny.” Taeyong lightly touched the boy’s cheek with his fingers. He softly cooed when the other buried his face in the student’s palm. Sometimes Johnny resembled a kitty so much that he thought the boy had been a cat in his past life.

They continued to lounge for a few more minutes, enjoying the tranquility of the night. There was a soft hum coming from the other side of the wall, a soft tune that one would find in old tv shows. At least their neighbor knew good music. Taeyong thought he even heard the sound of their cat scratching on some surface, and probably meowing a little. Those white noises made him a little drowsy. The student yawned, and upon checking and finding Johnny already asleep, he decided that he should retire for the night earlier than usual. Taeyong reached up to turn off the yellow-lighted lamp. Once the room had sunken into darkness, he felt Johnny stir up a little. Warm puffs of breath tickled his face, before a soft pair of lips landed on Taeyong’s cheek. Johnny mumbled a quiet good night just as the both of them surrendered to slumber.

*

“This is fucking weird, man.” Yuta mumbled while not taking his eyes off Johnny. The two had been engaged in a staring contest as soon as the topic of which movie to watch came up.

This was definitely not what Taeyong had imagined Yuta and Johnny’s first interaction would be. Johnny had been fine when they were setting up the tiny space around the couch for movie night. He even helped making popcorn - a little wiggle of his fingers for the bag of popcorn to heat up and start bouncing up and down. But the moment Yuta tripped and partially landed on Taeyong’s lap, the tiny human started to shoot laser from his eyes - metaphorically speaking, and for once the raven-haired student was thankful that Johnny’s magic didn’t include any kinds of optical offense. However, since the other party in this staring contest was Yuta who, of course, wasn’t afraid of conflicts and confrontations, the Japanese also stared back.

“Guys…” Taeyong cleared his throat, nervously.

“Can you scoot over a little, _please_ , I want that seat.” Johnny spoke up through gritted teeth, gesturing to the nearly nonexistent space between the other two. Even though the situation was kind of tense, Taeyong couldn’t help but think of the many cat videos he’d seen, particularly ones with two cats aggressively meowing at each other while fighting for dominance. The only thing missing then was Yuta hissing back at Johnny.

“Why would I?” Yuta inquired.

“I’m cold. I want to sit between you two.” Came the tiny human’s reply with a straight face, as if what he had just asked was believable and not the least bit ridiculous.

“You can use the duvet.” Obviously the Japanese wasn’t backing down. Taeyong was sweating by then. This was _definitely_ _not_ how the evening should turn out. He scooted to the right to keep a small distance from Yuta. Johnny was acting very strange, he couldn't understand why, though.

“Here, Johnny, you can sit next to me.” Taeyong patted the seat nestled between him and Yuta. Only then did Johnny finally break eye contact and slowly crawled up the couch, settled onto the raven-haired male’s side.

Half way through _Ponyo_ , Yuta noticed that Johnny was starting to doze off. He was still a bit spooked by the mere existence of the tiny boy, though. Who wouldn’t be? Sure he was the one who had dragged Taeyong into that creepy antique shop and not been there to stop him from taking a humanoid toy home; but actually talking to said toy still made him feel uneasy. Yuta had seen enough sci-fi films to know how things would turn out. First the creepy, mystical creature befriended the human, they had a normal, friendly relationship, then in a blink of an eye, the creature would immediately latch onto the human and suck the life out of them. 

Then the thing was, other than the initial shock, he couldn’t sense anything off about Johnny. And from what Taeyong had told him beforehand, the tiny human didn’t mean any harm towards anyone. Yuta somewhat prided himself on his ability to sense when someone didn’t mean well. He got nothing on Johnny, though. When Taeyong had first told him about Johnny, he had been worried about the other’s safety. He would frequently check in with Taeyong through texts and calls, and meet up with him whenever they share the same lecture to really make sure that the raven-haired student was okay. Two weeks passed without any incidents and only then had the Japanese relaxed a little. Until Taeyong invited him to movie night, and Yuta became alerted again - of course, he wouldn’t show that to Taeyong. Gotta keep up the chilled front.

The Japanese student heard a light snore, and then there were two tiny legs poking his thigh since Johnny’s head had taken its place on Taeyong’s belly. The other student was absent-mindedly running his fingers through the mop of brown hair on his stomach with practiced ease, all the while still paying attention to the movie.

“Taeyong.” Yuta whispered. The other hummed in return, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“He’s asleep,” the purple-haired boy tried again, gesturing towards Johnny. Taeyong clicked _pause_ then peered at the tiny boy in his lap. Johnny in deed was snoring by then. Very gently, he secured one arm under the boy’s butt, the other tilting Johnny’s upper body forwards so that the tiny human was leaning against Taeyong’s chest. As if on cue, the little boy also wrapped his arms around the other’s neck without even opening his eyes. He only let out a small sigh before resuming his slumber.

Once Johnny was nicely tucked into bed, Taeyong returned to the couch, where Yuta was munching on the popcorn while staring at nothing in particular. He waved a hand in front of the other’s face.

“Earth to Yuta. Helloooo?”

The Japanese guy simply slapped his hand away. They resumed the movie, with Taeyong this time snuggled to Yuta’s side. They were near the end of the movie, the part where Ponyo turned into a human girl. Out of the blue, Yuta spoke up.

“Johnny was acting ridiculous, you know?”

The raven-haired suppressed a sigh.

“I know. I’m sorry if he made you feel uncomfortable. He has never acted like that before.”

“I think he was jealous,” Yuta tossed another popcorn into his mouth, “He behaved exactly like my step bro during that kid Lee-something’s birthday, when someone else took the spot next to him. It was hilarious though.”

Yuta’s statement made Taeyong splutter.

“What? No way. He just… likes to sit next to me...?”

The raven-haired couldn’t believe that he even considered what his friend just said true. Johnny was like a little baby brother to him - of course he knew Johnny was not a baby, the tiny one most likely had the mentality of a teenager - so how did Yuta even expect him to believe that what he was to Johnny was similar to the Lee kid to Jaemin? Since obviously, everyone in Yuta’s family was well aware of how little Jaemin was absolutely head over heels for the boy next door. Taeyong told both himself and his friend that siblings could crave attention from each other and therefore, develop jealousy which consequently led to Johnny’s behaviour. Yuta was slightly convinced, however, still stood by his words. He immediately changed the subject, though.

“Are you sure Johnny living with you is okay? I mean, yeah sure it’s fine now, but what about in the future, when you get married and have kids? Is he gonna live with you and your spouse and your kids too? Or is he returning to his world? You know, the magic world?” And Yuta seriously meant it. He was glad that Taeyong had a companion - an odd one at that - in his honestly quite lonely life. Taeyong was a bit of a loner, and had a very small friend circle. It was fine now, but in the long run? Not really. “How will you explain to your family the existence of Johnny? You know how terrified people could be upon finding out that there were species with supernatural abilities living among them.”

Taeyong could understand his friend’s concern, but he couldn’t help getting defensive.

“Are you suggesting that I should leave him once I have a partner?” The raven-haired student hissed. “Because I will never do such a thing to him, Yuta. He’s my friend, I don’t leave friends behind. I’ll hide him away if it means he’s safe. The world out there is dangerous, sure, but that’s exactly the reason why I need to protect and make him feel loved. No one deserves to be alone.”

“Is our world the right one for him though, Taeyong? You need to keep in mind that he didn’t belong in our world in the first place. We are only common civilians, who only have two bare hands and a fucked up sleep schedule. He isn’t like us. Johnny should be with folk like him, in their community. That’s where he should be.” Yuta was slowly developing a headache from this argument with the other student. “I’m not saying that he’s bad for you or you should leave him. All I’m saying is that you should consider what is best for the two of you, both now and in the future.”

Yuta’s words really struck him, however. Finding out that the supernaturals were real was one thing, creating something similar to a bridging space safe for both Johnny and the humans was another. Taeyong wasn’t sure if he could do that just yet. After all, he was only a college student in his early 20s. He remained silent.

“It might not be something fun to think about, but consider what I just said, please? I’m your friend too, Taeyong, I want you to be happy.” Yuta placed an assuring hand on Taeyong’s shoulder, before getting up to return back to his dorm room.

Both of them didn’t see a pair of tiny socks peeking out from around the corner.

*

Johnny had not been himself lately.

Taeyong could see that clearly, and no matter how much he worried and begged Johnny to tell him what was wrong, the little boy wouldn’t. They went on with daily life, but sometimes Taeyong would caught the other staring at nothing in particular, face void of any emotions and just… blank. As if his mind was somewhere else. They still did everything together as per usual, Johnny was the same sweet little boy who lived with him. But Taeyong could tell that something was wrong. Something had been causing Johnny distress.

“Johnny, what do you think of a weekend trip? Just the two of us. I wanna take you out for some fresh air.” Taeyong had been coming up with different ideas of how to lift Johnny’s spirit. A breath of fresh air might be the one.

“A trip? To where?” Johnny suspended the knife he’d been using to chop the vegetables mid-air.

“There was a valley near my grandma’s old house. It has this giant field of different types of flowers. I think you’ll like it there.”

With a flick of his fingers, Johnny poured both the vegetables and small cubes of meat into the pot.

“Sounds nice. Do you need me to prepare anything?” 

In only a few minutes, the pot had started to emanate such a delicious smell.

“It’s a 1-day trip so there shouldn’t be much to prepare, I think. I’ll make us some sandwiches and juice to bring along.”

“Okay, I can’t wait.” Johnny replied with a small smile, to which Taeyong also returned with one of his own. Hopefully, this weekend, Johnny would finally open up about what was troubling him. Taeyong couldn’t bear watching his little friend not being happy.

True to Taeyong’s words, the flower field was beautiful. Patches of flowers of different shades were deliberately placed next to each other to form a gradience of colors. Whoever planted these surely had an artistic streak in themselves.

Johnny was sitting snug in the chest pocket of Taeyong’s sweater - a large pouch-like pocket that the student sewed onto several hoodies and sweaters, so that every time he went out he could bring Johnny along. To keep the tiny boy from the occasional chilly spring breezes that swept past them, the raven-haired boy also wore a soft blue jacket whose flaps hid Johnny well, letting only his tiny head poke out from between. The two had taken a train, then rent a bicycle to come here - a basket filled with food and snacks and beverages in the front carrier of the vehicle.

There were people strolling around the place, most too occupied with enjoying the scenery and taking pictures to really pay attention to Taeyong. The two found an unoccupied spot under a blossom tree, whose buds had not fully bloomed just yet, but still pretty enough that it made Johnny squeal in delight. Taeyong had brought a box of _Scrabble_ to play with Johnny. The tiny human was very much fond of games involving words, puzzles and quizzes, which weren’t exactly Taeyong’s forte, but he would always try his best to match the other.

“T-R-A-N-S-F-O-R-M. 34 points!” Johnny exclaimed and merrily wrote down his score on a piece of paper. At this rate, he would just continue the winning streak during the past hour.

“Not fair.” Taeyong huffed, lying flat on his back while throwing puppy eyes at the other. To which, Johnny snorted.

“You need to know more than just _chiffon_ , _wool_ and _couture_.”

The raven-haired male huffed again, but didn’t say anything else and instead, reached for another mandarin from their basket. Apart from continuously losing to Johnny, the trip had been extremely nice, so far. Being a homebody, Taeyong didn’t go out much unless for college-relating matters or his occasional freelance jobs. He didn’t even like nightclubs or bars and had been there on only two instances: the afterparty when Yuta’s dance club won a regional competition, and Ten’s birthday. Those places were all too crowded and loud for his liking, and innately, Taeyong much prefered the nature and quiet places. Taking his eyes off the _Scrabble_ board, the student looked at the canopy of blossom buds and flowers above them. Spring breezes kept brushing past the tree, sending a few pink-colored petals down that landed on the student’s forehead. He challenged himself to a little blowing contest with himself, trying to puff hard enough to send those petals flying off. Which didn’t prove to be a very valid contest, seeing that two petals slid down his face and only one actually flew away. But the one petal that flew off, ended up on Johnny’s head instead. The tiny human didn’t notice it, though, since he was still busy putting away their previous game.

Taeyong thought Johnny looked adorable like that. Of course the boy had always been adorable, with his round cheeks and pouty lips; but he looked _extra_ lovely with a flower petal stuck in his hair. Taeyong had half a mind to pluck the pink-colored piece off his head, then decided to leave it afterward. At that moment, the tiny human resembled a little fairy. Especially with his magic, for a second, Taeyong could visualize him as a tiny house fairy who lived with a witch, tended their wooden cabin and played with the small animals that sometimes would come by asking for a treat from the fairy. Johnny would have a corner to his own in the cabin, not too big, but still a personal space for him to keep his trinkets and treasures.

He was jolted out of daydreaming by the sound of Johnny calling his name.

“Lee Taeyong~ Helloooooo?”

“Sorry, I was zoning out a little.” He quickly replied. “There’s a lake nearby, do you wanna check it out? We can walk - I mean, _I_ can walk us there.”

A cold wave washed through Johnny at the mention of a lake. Johnny didn’t know why, but large bodies of water often made him feel uneasy. It was a silly fear, he thought, because one should not be naturally scared of water. Throughout the three years at Guanheng’s shop, not once had he ever been anywhere near a lake or the sea to even develop fear for large amount of water. But Taeyong seemed so excited with the idea, and he was already carrying everything for the both of them, Johnny didn’t have the heart to decline such a suggestion.

When they arrived at the lake, just as Johnny had anticipated, another rush of cold sensation ran through his spine. He quivered, which Taeyong thought was merely because it felt chilly near the lake.

It was a rather large lake, big enough that one could not see the other side of it, and instead just a seemingly never-ending proportion of water. A stilt house stood in the middle of it, with a small wooden bridge connecting the house and the shore. Taeyong thought it was beautiful. The wind made the mirror-like water surface ripple, hit by the sunlight that made the entire lake turn into a large pool of glitter. Standing on the shore, the two of them could hear the muted sound of water hitting the rocks that lined the edge of the lake, combined with the random chirping of birds passing by to create a rather peaceful feeling to the entire place.

“Let’s go to the stilt house. We can take great pictures there.”

“Y-yeah…” Despite his growing apprehension that something bad would happen, Johnny deemed it silly. There was no reason for him to be scared of water like that. He took a bath everyday!

The inside of the stilt house was even better than Taeyong had expected. Obviously the creator of this house paid very close attention to every detail. Four sizable teal-colored silk sheets that fell from the four corners of the roof fluttered every time a breeze passed by. Wooden benches lined the railings of the house. There was also a stone table in the middle with a burner on it, and judging by the smell, Taeyong guessed it was incense. The whole house - even though a very open one - had this relaxed ambience that he liked so much. Had he owned a place like this, Taeyong was sure he would have spent all of his time there to do creative work.

Johnny was the opposite of Taeyong, though. He subconsciously clutched onto the other’s sweater as each minute passed by being under the roof of this stilt house. The sound of the breezes was clear to him, how they brushed past everything and seemed to take away bits of anything they touched upon. Spring breezes sounded like sharp bladed cutting through any obstacles daring to stand in their way. Then he heard the water beneath them, slapping at the pillars supporting the house, cold and ruthless.

_“Johnny…”_

He heard a female voice. It sounded distant. Someone was calling out for him.

_“Stay together…”_

The voice spoke up again, this time a lot closer to Johnny. He retreated further into the front pouch of Taeyong’s sweater. He needed to leave. _They_ needed to leave.

“Taeyong-”

Thunder rumbled in the sky, startling both Taeyong and Johnny. A green flash lit up from between dark clouds. Before anyone could react, a sudden downpour put a white blurry veil on the scene. Fat drops of water kept coming down, hitting hashly on the roof of stilt house, but at least the structure was holding well under assault of mother nature. No more was the peaceful atmosphere, and taking place was a sense of aggression and violence.

“Baby, are you alright?” Having finally sensed Johnny’s uneasiness, Taeyong patted his back. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over in a minute. Then we’ll go home, yeah?”

Although, he did find this kind of occurrence extremely unusual. There shouldn’t be anything more than a light drizzle in spring, yet here they were, trapped by a heavy rainfall.

Something green flashed by the corner of Taeyong’s eyes. He immediately looked to the right and saw nothing. The shower was heavy enough that it seemed like a wall of fog had surrounded the stilt house.

Taeyong saw another green flash to his left, but this time, instead of the buzzing sound of the rain, he heard a loud bang, just in time as he was slapped in the face with a wave of hot air. Lightning struck the middle part of the bridge to shreds, cutting it into halves. Taeyong stumbled backwards, not forgetting to encircle his arms around Johnny to protect the little boy from the wooden fragments. The student’s feet made a wet sound as it landed on the floor, and only then did the both of them realize that somehow the water level had been rapidly rising and beginning to flood the stilt house.

“We need to leave. Now.” Johnny pled, small body shaking so much that even Taeyong felt dread settling in his stomach too. They need to escape the lake before another lightning could strike and possibly damaging the roof above their heads. But how? The bridge - their only exit - had been torn to pieces, the water had risen so much that he couldn’t even see the edge of the lake anymore. They were trapped in a sea of water.

“I can swim, but you have to hold really, _really_ tight onto my back, okay? Do not let go.” The student told Johnny. Taeyong let the tiny human crawled on his back, before using his belt to secure the both of them together. He sat down on the now flooded floor, shivering as he put two legs into the icy cold water first.

“Try to keep your head above the water, okay?” He shouted at Johnny, the rain wasn’t showing any signs of stopping and it was too loud around them to talk at a normal volume. He got a slight pinch as a yes from the tiny boy.

The water was even colder once Taeyong fully slid down into it. Waves after waves were coming their way, he doubted that he could even get through them to swim back to shore. But he had to. He must protect Johnny.

All the swimming lessons and summer trips to the beach were nothing compared to this. Taeyong could barely see anything and his face stung so bad from the rain that kept slapping at him. There was definitely some water in his lungs now, apart from the icy water that just wanted to drown them both. For a brief moment, Taeyong even questioned as to why it was so cold. Surely water would always be a few degrees colder than the air temperature, but the liquid surrounding them felt like newly molten ice. But that question soon slipped out of his mind once another wave hit him head first.

_“Wait!” Johnny shouted at the dark silhouette before him. One of the heavy wooden beams of the cabin had fallen down and trapped his left leg. Red blood started to seep from the large cut where the beam had hit him._

_“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” Bella wiped away the tears streaming down her face. There was another loud bang resounding from the distance, one that told her the dam had broken. Only a few more seconds until this whole place was drowned in water._

_“No! Don’t leave me here! Please, Bella, help me!”_

_“I’m so sorry, Johnny, I have to leave now.” With that, the witch got on her broomstick and flew away._

“I could see the shore! Johnny! I could see the shore! Johnny?” Taeyong paused for a few seconds to determine if he had been swimming in the right direction. He caught a glimpse of the shore, just several meters ahead of them. He called out loudly to the other boy, only to realize in horror that he could no longer feel Johnny’s weight on his back.

“Johnny!” The student frantically turned around to look for any signs of Johnny. The rain had let up a little, but not enough to actually see through it. He flailed around in panic, yelling Johnny’s name. He _had to_ find Johnny. The boy would not survive in a vast sea of water like this.

Finally, he heard a gurgling sound, almost drowned out by the downpour.

“Johnny!!!” Taeyong screamed, swimming as fast as possible towards that direction. He saw a tiny hand stuck out from the surface, calling for help, before it slowly sunk down into the water.

Taeyong wasn’t fast enough. When he finally reached Johnny, the boy had disappeared into the bubbling water surface. He took a deep breath and ducked down, trying to grasp the tiny body, but to no avail. _No no no, I cannot let him die_ , the student kept whispering to himself, before giving it another try. The grey water stung his eyes, he could barely see anything, however, Taeyong just kept diving deeper while reaching an arm forward to search for Johnny. Then, his fingers touched something. A human hand. A tiny hand. _Johnny_.

The student emerged from the water with a loud splash, panting heavily. The rain had died down to a drizzle and the shore was clearly in view. But Johnny wasn’t breathing.

As soon as they came ashore, Taeyong started CPR on the tiny human. He was afraid that he would use too much force for Johnny’s body to handle, but if he didn’t do the CPR now, the boy would die.

Two rescue breaths. _One, two._

One minute of chest compression. _One, two, three, four, five…_

Taeyong didn’t know when he had started to cry, but with each passing seconds of Johnny lying lifelessly on the ground, hot tears free-fell from the student’s reddening eyes.

“Johnny, please, stay with me,” he hiccuped, still keeping up the chest compression.

And then, when the first cough came out of the tiny boy’s mouth, Taeyong almost broke down. He let Johnny lie on the side to cough out the rest of the water, one hand softly patting the boy’s back.

“You scared me so much, Johnny.” Taeyong whispered, arms finally giving out to let him fall to the ground next to Johnny.

*

“Achoo!!” Johnny sneezed loudly. The boy was currently wrapped up in at least three layers of clothing _and_ a blanket. Next to him was Taeyong, also sneezing and even nursing a fever.

“I want to die.” The raven-haired student slurred, too delirious from the antipyretic he took. He turned to the other. “Do you want something to eat?”

“I also want to die.” came Johnny’s reply, before he fell backwards and landed on the mattress of the bed, immediately passing out from the medicine.

Taeyong wanted to make some soup for the both of them to eat. But his head was hurting like a bitch, his body was burning up and aching all over. Taeyong was in hell.

*

Taeyong woke up when the first ray of sunlight peeked through between the curtains and landed on his face. He wanted to sleep in a little bit more. Even though he was no longer running a fever - Taeyong reached up to touch his forehead - his body was still slightly aching.

Out of the corner of his eye, Taeyong noticed movements. A dark silhouette was on his bed. Taeyong turned to the side, and screamed.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Because what greeted him was a pair of honey brown eyes, staring intently at him. Those soft, gentle, but also curious eyes belonged to a familiar face that Taeyong swore he had seen before. Someone else was in the apartment, watching him sleep. To both his surprise and horror, that someone also screamed.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“WHO ARE YOU??? WHY ARE YOU IN MY APARTMENT??? WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!!!” Taeyong screeched and grabbed a pillow, ready to hit the stranger in the face. There was a naked man on his bed, in his apartment!

Said man yanked the blanket _hard_ to cover his body, which in turn exposed Taeyong to the chilly morning air. 

“TAEYONG! IT’S ME! IT’S JOHNNY!” The stranger yelled, finally revealing his identity to Taeyong to avoid getting hit in the face.

“WHY ARE YOU BIG??? YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BIG!!!” The student also yelled back out of panic. Why did weird shit always happen to him?!

“Taeyong please, calm down- nah ah ah, put that pillow down, I’ll explain.” Johnny pled. He was tired and naked, it was too early in the morning to deal with this kind of a fuss. Only then did Taeyong seem rational enough to let down his defense. The student still looked at Johnny with wary eyes, though.

Taeyong had not expect Johnny to be this _big_ . Johnny used to be so small, like a toddler, how could he become so giant? Taeyong knew he was of average height for a male and he was perfectly fine with it. Buying clothes had never been an issue, most of his friends were around his height too. The tallest in his friend circle was probably Jungwoo, but that boy had an ability to make himself look small _all the time_. So now, all of a sudden, Taeyong felt like a tiny ant at the foot of a fucking tree. The top of his head barely reached Johnny’s shoulders, even the other’s biceps were already thicker than his legs. The giant could easily crush him with just his fingers. 

_Oh god, what if he didn’t see me on his way and just stepped on me? I’m tiny!_

“No I’m not stepping on you.” Johnny sighed. “And no, I don’t read minds. You just said that out loud.”

The giant was no longer naked, and had put on some clothes - Taeyong’s sweater and pajama pants, to be specific, since none of the student’s normal pants could accommodate Johnny’s thighs. A pair of cat print pants, at that.

“Fine. Now explain. How are you… big?” The raven-haired boy huffed.

“It’s complicated, but I’ll try.” Johnny began. “I… have my memory back. As in, the memory from before Guanheng’s antique shop. This is my true form before I… uh… shrunk. I used to be a familiar of a witch named Bella. We lived together in a cabin in the wood. She got into conflict with lots of wizards and witches, mostly about petty stuff. Until one day, I didn’t know the details, but she somehow provoked someone of high status. They had a fight, a huge fight, I didn’t understand why she had led the fight back to the cabin. She probably thought she would have the home advantage, but she was so, so wrong. The cabin took a very bad hit, I was trapped under one of the beams. I was injured, too.”

His voice became solemn.

“Bella, she… left me. The other wizard hit the dam near the wood and directed the water right at the cabin. Bella left me there to die.”

Taeyong tried to bite back a gasp, and instead pulled Johnny into his arms.

“Baby… I’m sorry that happened to you. It was wrong on so many levels, for someone to do that.” The other’s form started to shake as tears fell down his cheeks. Taeyong couldn’t help but feel angry at the witch. How could she leave her familiar to die like that? What kind of cold-blooded, remorseless person could do such a thing?

“And when I woke up, I was already at the antique shop. Guess that my magic protected my body once the water hit, but I was shrunken to the size of a doll. And then, well, you happened.”

The raven-haired boy hugged Johnny even tighter after that. Something finally occurred to him then. He pulled back to look the other in the eye.

“At the lake, were you trembling because… because it made you remember?”

“Yes. I started to hear Bella’s voice. But I didn’t know it was her, I thought I was imagining things.”

The student was stricken with a sense of guilt, though.

“I’m sorry, Johnny. So, so sorry. I didn’t realize you were under such distress. Please forgive me.” He kept apologizing to the other over and over again, too embarrassed that he himself could be so inattentive towards someone he claimed to care for. Johnny shushed him with a small smile.

“Don’t apologize. It was not your fault. I should have spoken up about my discomfort. I was afraid that I would ruin your good mood. And… thank you, Taeyong, for saving me. You didn’t- you didn’t leave me like Bella did. I cannot thank you enough for that.”

“It’s okay now, baby, you’re safe. I will never let anything bad happen to you ever again.” Taeyong pulled the giant in for another tight hug while rubbing his back. A rather large and sturdy back, though. “Alright, no more crying, okay? Let me make us some breakfast. I’m starving!”

*

“Are you sure you’re ok with the couch? I mean, your legs won’t be comfortable here, I should be the one sleeping on the couch.” Taeyong kept looking between Johnny and the couch. Since the other was so much bigger now, and he had only a single bed which wasn’t exactly comfortable for two grown men to sleep on, Johnny had suggested that he moved to the couch. The giant nodded.

“Yeah, it’s fine. You should have the bed. Either the couch or the floor is good enough for me. You wouldn’t want to be crushed by me, would you?” He even joked about squeezing tiny Taeyong. The smaller immediately protested.

“But it won’t be pleasant! I don’t know how tall people rest, but I’m sure your legs will hate you for sleeping on the couch!”

“Go to your bed, Taeyong. It will be fine. We can sew a new mattress for me to sleep on the floor tomorrow, okay?” The brunette grabbed on Taeyong’s shoulder and pushed him in the direction of the bedroom. Meanwhile, the student only got annoyed at the mere fact that Johnny could push him around so easily now. One second he was Taeyong’s adorable little baby, the next he was throwing him around without even breaking a sweat. Life was so unfair.

Two in the morning, Johnny felt someone pulling his arm. He opened his eyes to a half sleeping Taeyong - an adorable Taeyong, might he add - tugging at his shirt. The student was mumbling something, he couldn’t make out what it was, but figure he must be sleepwalking. Which was weird for Taeyong, but not completely unexplainable seeing that the both of them had just been through such a traumatic event. Johnny got up to lead the student back to his bed. This boy should sleep more. Throughout the last several months, he had seen Taeyong stay up late on countless nights to work, either for a project or a job. No wonder he was so short.

He put Taeyong down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to his chin. But just when Johnny was about to return to the couch, he realized he couldn’t, not with the way Taeyong was holding tight onto his hand.

“Taeyong, let go.” He whispered, trying to tug his hand free of the other’s grip. It didn’t budge.

“Sleep with me…” came Taeyong’s mumbled reply. Johnny sighed. After another attempt to break free from the student’s iron grip - how was his hand so strong while unconscious, Johnny didn’t know - he gave up. It wasn’t like they had never shared a bed before. And he had to admit that sleeping without Taeyong’s warmth wasn’t very pleasant, aside from the fact that his legs were sticking out from the couch no matter what position he switched to.

“Okay. Fine. I will try not to crush you in my sleep. I’m only doing as your request.” Johnny muttered, more to himself than to Taeyong. After some very gentle and careful maneuvers, he could put his back on the bed without his butt sticking out into cold air, which also meant Taeyong was half wedged between Johnny and the wall and half lying on top of the giant’s body. The brunette thought that the student would wake up from such an awkward position, then such supposition was proven wrong when Taeyong simply curled in and even snored for a little bit. Seemed like the smaller was already in deep slumber. Johnny decided that he should get some sleep now - who knew being big consumed so much energy in just one day. He rubbed Taeyong’s back a little, and kissed his forehead.

“Sleep tight.”

*

“You’re having a crush on your big human, aren’t you?” Yuta’s voice was flat. Johnny had left for a shift at the supermarket - yes, they figured that since Johnny was big now, he could take a job and build a life like a normal human - there was no need to be subtle now.

“What? No! I am not!” Taeyong screeched in disbelief.

“Oh please. Did you see the way you fucking giggled at everything he said? _Disgusting_.” The Japanese student glared at him over a hot cup of tea.

“He is funny! I have always laughed at whatever he says ever since he was tiny!” Taeyong wanted to strangle his friend so bad.

“Trust me, I am even more conscious of your love life than you do. You definitely have the hot for him.” Yuta retorted.

“I do not have the hot for him! Even though I do admit that he’s very handsome…” Much to the blonde’s amusement, Taeyong’s voice got quieter as he trailed off. Yuta was right. His friend definitely liked _liked_ that giant.

“It feels weird, man. One second he’s this tiny baby that I could pick up with one arm, the next he’s this tall dude who could easily squash me with just his thumb. He was my little brother, now he is… like that!”

Taeyong wanted to bang his head on the table, and he did.

“It’s not weird. Technically he is not your brother. And think about it this way: he used to be a young boy, who went through puberty in just one night and grew up to be a fine young man. It is okay to thirst after a hot dude. And plus, I can guarantee you that he likes you too. Probably not at your level of thirst yet, but that’s something you can work on. You can trust my spidey sense.” The Japanese took another sip from his cup. He so needed Ten to chime into Taeyong’s current situation. That would be hilarious.

“I don’t know…” Taeyong groaned. A warm hand patted his head.

“Everything will work out eventually. But now, both of us have a class in 40 minutes, go change your clothes if you don’t wanna be late. Chop chop!”

*

Later in the evening, Taeyong came home to the sight of Johnny’s back, crouching in front of the electric stove, clearly making dinner for the two of them. Despite his new height, Johnny liked to make himself look small (though not always, especially when he nearly squashed Taeyong flat into the bed during the night). Now wasn’t one of those occasions, though. The cooking area had been organized to fit the student’s build, no naturally, Johnny had to duck down and even bend his knees in order not to hit his head against the wall cabinet.

“What are you making?”

“A!”

The giant seemed to be deeply focusing on whatever he was making, almost flinging away the wooden spatula he was holding upon Taeyong’s sudden question. The smaller immediately rushed over to check if Johnny had burned himself, and found none.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to startle you!”

“It’s fine. Your steps are very light, do you know that? Like a cat. Here, try this. It’s a new recipe, one of the cashiers at the supermarket taught me.” The giant held up a little spoon to Taeyong’s lips, blowing on it gently before feeding the other.

“It’s amazing, Johnny! At this rate you’re gonna be a better cook than I am.” Taeyong grinned, about to dip in for another spoon of soup when Johnny lightly swatted his hand.

“Nuh uh. Go wash your hands and change your clothes first, then you can have dinner.”

The student pouted, but did as he was told. This felt oddly domestic, a missing piece he didn’t know he needed. Living with Johnny had filled the apartment with both the fun and the comfort that admittedly were somewhat lacking in his life.

Having done with dinner, the two settled on the couch to watch Johnny’s favorite weekly music show. Stubbing a toe or smacking a hand against the furniture didn’t hold him back from singing and dancing along to the songs.

The final performance was by Chen, a soloist whose voice had been agreed by the both of them to belong to an actual angel. Johnny was lying with his head on Taeyong’s thighs then, quietly humming to the ballad song. Several minutes passed by, it was the part where the MCs announced the winner of that week. Usually, Johnny would be watching like a hawk, eager to find out who won; when unexpectedly, he turned to lie on his back, looking directly at Taeyong.

“What’s wrong?”

“Taeyong. I think… I think I know where Bella is now.”

The student tried to will his heart to remain its steady beating.

“Do you want to find her?”

“I do. I have a few questions for her.” Johnny looked calmer than he had expected, though not without a hint of hesitation. “Will you… will you come with me? I want to be sure that she’s okay, and let her know that I am okay, too, with you. It’s totally fine if you don’t want to come, I won’t ask again.”

Johnny looked away. Maybe he was asking too much of Taeyong. Why did he even want to involve the other in something that had already belonged to be past?

To Johnny’s surprise, a warm hand came down to touch his cheek. Taeyong smiled at him.

“I’ll come with you. I won’t leave you alone, remember? You always have my support, no matter what.”

**Author's Note:**

> big thank to Lola for beta-ing this fic. it would have lacked in so many parts without your help <3


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